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The Truman's van, replicated by Corgi around the same time
that the one that was being restored seemed to disappear |
Morris J Type vans and beer would seem to be a perfect pairing. Strangely J types don't seem to have been used very much by breweries, I guess they were a bit small for the heavy loads. The Truman's van (what became of it?) was an example of a brewery J type and Carlsberg have one they use for promotional purposes. I would have thought a J Type would make a great promotional van for today's explosion of boutique breweries and I'd certainly make mine available for that purpose, just fill her up before you bring her back!
I've always felt that it was a bit of a shame that we Morris restorers don't have a beer that we can call our own. The MG owners have their own beer "Old Speckled Hen" which was originally brewed for the 50th anniversary of MG. It has some obscure link to a canvas bodied MG which was speckled with paint or something. The MG octagon features on its logo. Its not a bad drop though!
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| 100 years! I'll drink to that. |
So I was pleased to discover that there is now a beer for Morris owners, in fact its a One Ton Morris so its actually a Morris Commercial. Apparently the British micro brewery, Vale Brewery Co. does custom labels and one off brews for people. This one was brewed for the recent 100th Anniversary of Morris celebrations. According to their Facebook page:
"One hundred years ago the first Morris car rolled of the production line in Cowley, Oxford. To commemorate this we have teamed up with the Morris Owners club and used their logo on our pump badge. This 4.1% bitter is an all English affair with traditional floor malted barley and English hops. It is Copper coloured and we hope will become a favourite like the iconic car." It sounds pretty good to me. Just the thing after a busy day on the tools, or a long drive on a hot day.
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Restorer's Lubricant - apply liberally
before, after or during restoration. |
The only problem with "One Ton Morris" is that the nearest pub serving it it 10,000 miles away, so I've had to come up with my own alternative. Presenting "Morris J Type Van - Restorers Lubricant". This is my own label of strictly limited release*. The beer is a Pale Ale, which according to the brewer falls between Kilkenny and Old Speckled Hen, in the beer flavour spectrum. I'll have to take their word for it, because the only case in existence has been freighted to J Van Hero, Kim, to thank him for the parts he gave me. The idea is to get some more, which can be used to pass on to other helpful and generous supporters as required. This label is a first cut and was designed on the little app on the suppliers website. I'm planning a more sophisticated design for future releases, drawn up in a proper software package and with better graphics. In the mean time, this one will do!
If you'd like to design your own J van brew, have a look at
Brewtopia. If you'd like a carton with my design, just email me and I'll order it and have it sent to you at cost, or in exchange for more of the precious missing parts! It sells for about the same price as premium beer, plus a moderate delivery charge.
* strictly limited to the number I can sell/drink myself/give away.
